/*Miracles are a way of earning release from fear.*/
From the Circle of Atonement Annotated Edition [CE T-1.29] of A Course in Miracles
/*…Miracles, on the other hand, induce interpersonal action. ³In the end, these are more useful, because of their impersonal nature. ⁴In this phase of learning, working miracles is more valuable, because freedom from fear cannot be thrust upon you. ⁵The experience cannot last. ⁶Miracles, therefore, are the essential course of action for everyone.*/
A Course in Miracles is a spiritual self‑study that focuses on training the mind to release fear and see life—and ourselves—with greater clarity, compassion, and peace.
The human race appears to be experiencing a tragic critical-mass moment. I use the word “appears” because it’s likely that things were always very hard; now, with our capacity for global communication, we can become aware—instantly—of tragedies occurring around the globe. Coupled with the fact that not all the information we receive is accurate, our nervous systems are pushed into perpetual overdrive. In ACIM terms, we are locked in fear. This state of fear is so amplified that even friends and allies can be perceived as enemies across its gulf, creating schisms in the network of our relationships. The worlds of the soul can seem vulnerable, shaky ground; that which we used to lean into is no longer reliable. A spiritual teaching of mutual respect, loving-kindness, and compassion is perceived as escapism—a mode of spiritual bypass—a fool’s game of vulnerability in a world constructed of fear. Let’s be clear: the experience of fear in response to valid concerns is healthy. But we don’t have to give fear power over our lives. The spiritual pathways of the world (not its institutions) offer ways to shield ourselves from the cascading impact of fear, so that we might move through the days of our lives with courage and compassion. A Course in Miracles contains a multitude of practices aimed at liberating us from this ocean of fear. It’s in anchoring into our ACIM practices (not the theory) that we are transformed into people who can traverse the chaos by skillful means rather than avoidance.
A Course in Miracles trains us in new thought-forms which establish the ground of a different worldview than the fear-based one—one that is healthier and holds the promise of a more harmonious future. We are called to learn the tools and use them well across a variety of experiences, so they become a ready-at-hand toolkit for transforming our interactions in the world. Through lessons and exercises, A Course in Miracles trains us in skillful means for navigating this illusory world.
I haven’t yet had the world around me turn into heaven. But I have seen that the more I work the abundant practices offered, the more I find difficult situations unfolding in harmonious, unexpected, mutually beneficial ways. By unfolding, I mean moving toward resolution in situations of conflict with minimal compromise to the dignity of those involved.
One prominent fear-related roadblock is the belief that we are victims of the world we see. A Course in Miracles teaches that we are not victims of the world we see. It’s a radical concept. Without it, there is an ingrained temptation to inject ourselves with the belief that we have no sovereignty. We can’t do anything about it. The fearful belief that we are victims undermines our capacity to trust our own agency in the world. By inviting us to turn to new ways of thinking about the world and our place in it, A Course in Miracles empowers us to “overcome the world.”*
While A Course in Miracles teaches aligning with God’s Will, there comes a place in the study where it becomes clear that God’s will and our will are one and the same. To live that truth requires embracing the concept that the world around us does not determine our potential or the outcome of any situation. The best possible outcome is always here in the aligned wills; we need only choose, and be willing to accept that the best possible outcome may unfold from a level wholly different from the ego. It unfolds from divinity. In practice, we find that the way God sees us is far truer and more authentic than any identity we’ve concocted as a way to stay safe in a frightening world. The use of the ACIM toolkit opens us to this revelation.
From this joining of sovereignty with alignment with God’s will (they go together), skillful means unfold. These means arise organically through practice as we move through difficult situations and apply the teaching. This is one facet of the miracles that are the promise of the Course.
If we get locked into a purely physiological understanding of our potential, it can block the unfolding of the miracle. Part of opening to the level of consciousness in which miracles unfold is releasing our identification with the body. In A Course in Miracles, the mind is trained to get out of the way so that a higher dimension of consciousness can communicate to and through us. This higher dimension of consciousness is identified as the Holy Spirit.
In the Bible, John 16:33 Jesus is quoted as saying “In the world you’ll have trouble, but be courageous—I’ve overcome the world!” Its cryptic until you realize that the entire ACIM curriculum is dedicated to teaching us how to overcome the world. How to become spiritually soveign.
Pshaw, you may say. I don’t believe in that woo stuff. I understand. It’s very hard to believe when you’re sneezing in the presence of pollen or going to see a doctor about a lump. But you don’t have to deny your body or ignore it—just allow yourself to be spacious enough around the ideas presented to see your relationship with your body a different way. You are not a victim of it. As we see things a different way, the path of skillful means unfolds before us in response to all the situations that arise in our lives.
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Mirificus on the Joyful Planet 